Sometimes a reading raises questions. These verses of Psalm 51 do for me:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”Indeed, in guilt I was born,
and in sin my mother conceived me;
Behold, you are pleased with sincerity of heart,
and in my inmost being you teach me wisdom.
The Lectionary gives quotes. The NAB version, slightly different, doesn’t.
Psalm 51 may be a lyrical and beautiful expression of contrition, but it is not a perfect confession. David sinned against his general and Bathsheba and his whole army. That’s more than God. Even a king is answerable to and responsible for his people. And we, too, as penitents, are responsible for our offenses.
Verse 7 is an expression of misery. We indeed can feel so steeped in transgression, and so deep into problems of our own making that it seems to stretch back to birth. I think 51:7 is less a confirmation of original sin and more a metaphor for a penitent who feels something bad has lasted so long.
With verse 8, we find a change of tone. There’s hope. We hope we offer a sincere confession. And in turn, we hope God gives us grace. Would I ask for wisdom? I think I would be happy with insight. Maybe that’s the same thing. What do you think?
Catholic Sensibility 
Funny, I’ve always read this to mean that David knew that any transgression against others was not just bad behavior and probably poor policy, but a sin against God. Offend others in certain ways and you are offending not just them, but God. And David, as an anointed king, offended God by misusing the offic e of king. If you anchor love of God as love of neighbor you have sound religion. Otherwise not.
Thanks, John. I can see it that way, certainly.